The Senia style of sitar playing in contemporary India

Abstract

In a generic sense the term “Senia” refers to musicians who trace their musical lineage to the famous sixteenth‐century musician Miyan Tansen (c. 1520–90), who was a vocalist at the court of Akbar (r. 1556–1605). The central purpose of the present discussion is to explore the nature of the Senia style of playing in contemporary India, as exemplified by Mustaq Ali Khan (1911–89), and the way in which present‐day exponents, specifically Debu and Prateek Chaudhuri, interpret the contemporary meaning of “Senia” and view the future of this style of sitar playing.